A Sweet Idea & A Sweet Snack

It is early November and already in North America one can sense the rising excitement of the annual holiday season. For anyone looking for something meaningful and creative to do, I want to share some information about a tax-exempt nonprofit organization project called Drop In & Decorate founded by food writer Lydia Walshin; I am an ardent fan of her informative and excellent blog, The Perfect Pantry.

This will be the 8th year of cookies-for-donation in Lydia's kitchen. The idea behind Drop In & Decorate is simple: bake some cookies; gather a group of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, to decorate the cookies together; donate the cookies to a nonprofit agency serving basic human needs in your own community. Lydia assures us that she is baking-challenged and that no experience or baking expertise is needed to do this!

It’s a simple idea in a complicated world, and something anyone can do. Many of us donate necessities like food, clothing and personal items to our local non-profit agencies, and these are absolutely essential, no doubt about it. But there is something very special about getting a unique, hand-decorated cookie that someone took the time to make. It is a touch of whimsy and a splash of color where it is most required.

If you are looking for a smile or an "awwwww..." or a happy giggle in the next 5 seconds, you must visit the Drop In and Decorate flickr page. It seems like cookie decoration brings out the inner Warhol (and the inner child) in people!

There’s a free guide with everything you need to know to host your own party that can be downloaded from their website. If you’d like to host your own Drop In & Decorate event, Pillsbury and Wilton would like to help with coupons and cookie cutters. Write to lydia AT ninecooks DOT com for more info on how to get your free coupons and cookie cutters.

I have not hosted a Drop In & Decorate party yet, but I did go to an event last weekend that was similar in spirit. A bunch of us participated in a knitting marathon (24 hours where someone or the other was constantly knitting in the venue; I was only there for 2-3 hours), knitting/crocheting baby hats and blankies and socks to be donated to the local Children's Hospital. As items were made, they were hung up on a clothesline for all to admire. These kinds of events simply lead to much joy and camaraderie for all involved, and I hope many of us can participate in events like Drop In & Decorate in the coming months.

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As promised in the title of this post, here's a sweet snack.

My pantry "eat-down" was very successful last week. Two terribly mealy apples and a couple of carrots went into the loaf cake that follows. A large head of cabbage (and a bunch of wilting cilantro) was converted into a big pot of zunka. Cabbage being what it is, there was still a hunk of it left over, and I made some cabbage egg fry one morning for breakfast to eat with a few leftover tortillas. On the very last day, the crisper was empty except for a lonely lemon, and I used that, along with pantry staples quinoa and chickpeas, and some mint from the kitchen windowsill to make a nutritious quinoa chickpea salad with a lemon-tahini dressing, based on Lisa's recipe.

I love making loaf cakes (as evident by the many different kinds I have posted on this blog). They are flexible in terms of ingredients- I mean, how often can you scoop a "heaped cup" of something into a baking recipe and get away with it?

Apple Carrot Loaf

(adapted from this Harvest Cake recipe)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Spray a loaf pan and set it aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together
1 heaped cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp. apple pie spice (or mixture of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg)
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt

3. Add these to the flour mixture
2 medium apples, peeled and coarsely shredded
2 medium organic carrots, coarsely shredded
Handful of walnuts, chopped

4. In another bowl, mix together
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup buttermilk (dahi will work too, also see note)
2 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

5. Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture and stir gently until just combined.

6. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan, top with some granulated sugar for crunch (optional) and bake for 45 minutes or so, until an inserted toothpick comes clean.

Note: In practice, I use buttermilk powder instead of buttermilk since I can never use up a whole quart of buttermilk. I add buttermilk powder to the dry mix and equivalent water to the wet ingredients.

The autumnal aroma of baking apples and pie spices filled up the kitchen as this loaf baked. A couple of slices of this cake is the perfect mid-morning snack. For many more apple cake ideas, click here.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Onion Mushroom Tart

Every few weekends, we skip the usual grocery run. It is one of those small things that significantly reduces food waste by giving us opportunity to "eat down" the food stash and forces us to use up every last bit of produce. The bonus is that we have one less errand to do and a couple more hours to laze about, always a good thing.

It is a bit of a game for me to look around the kitchen and say, "How many meals can I make from the food that we already have"? I am always amazed at how food can be creatively stretched and how even vegetables that are past their prime can be eaten up instead of being tossed out. A few onions were just starting to get a little old, so I caramelized them and made a modified pizza for a tasty Sunday night supper.

The pizza crust is essentially the same recipe I have posted before but now that I own a lifetime supply of instant yeast (a one lb bag), the first proofing step is unnecessary. This dough is kneaded entirely in the food processor.

Onion Mushroom Tart

1. Pizza dough (start this step 3-4 hours of time)
In a food processor bowl fitted with a metal blade, add
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
Pulse to combine. Then, with the motor running, feed in 1 tbsp. olive oiland drizzle in warm water (half cup or a little more as needed) to make a soft elastic dough. Place it in an oiled bowl, cover it and let it rise for 2-3 hours.

2. Make the topping:
-Saute 3-4 thinly sliced medium onions in olive oil for 30-35 minutes over medium-low heat until they are beautifully caramelized.
-Add 4 cups diced cremini mushrooms, dried oregano, dried thyme, red peper flakes, salt and pepper to taste and continue to saute until the mixture is quite dry.
-In the last few minutes of cooking, stir in 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar.
-Turn off the heat and stir in a handful of coarsely chopped olives. Let the topping cool down.

3. To make the tart: Preheat oven to 475F.

4. Grease a rectangular 11x17 inch (or so) sheet pan very well with olive oil. Place the risen dough on the pan and spread it to fill the entire pan in a single layer. You may have to pause intermittenly to allow the dough to rest so it can be rolled out well.

5. Spread the topping in an even layer. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is done and the cheese is bubbling. Cut in squares and serve right away.

The flavors of the sweet smoky onions, juicy mushrooms, salty olives against the crunch of the freshly baked crust were simply irresistible.

Cut into diagonal strips, this tart would be a lovely appetizer. The filling is very versatile, and could be used as a sandwich spread, or in a festive puff pastry braid like this one.

Psst...if you are a blogger who likes to send and receive gifts, there's a new edition of Blogging By Mail this month, hosted by Stephanie; sign-ups are open.

Chocolate for Breakfast

Gift giving can be quite a challenge. It seems like everyone I know has three of everything and don't need any more "stuff" that just sits around and needs to be dusted. Most people like to eat, though, so edible gifts are usually well-received.

As a small gift, I made some chocolate granola a few days ago. There is something very fun and decadent about eating chocolate for breakfast, and it makes for the most perfect midnight snack too. I was very pleased with the results and might make more batches of this granola as holiday gifts.

I came upon this recipe based on a recommendation on a food blog, not by the blogger but by someone leaving a comment. On this post, someone named Claire commented, "...I have a wonderfully indulgent recipe for chocolate granola, made with cocoa, from the Green & Black's chocolate cookbook." This caught my eye, I did some rapid web searching and luckily found the recipe online. So, to all those who take the time to leave thoughtful and helpful comments on food blog posts, I thank you! People do benefit from your comments.

Cherry Chocolate Granola

Adapted from Green and Black's Cocoa Crunch recipe, makes a BIG batch!

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease a large sheet pan or cover it with a sheet of parchment paper.

2. In a small saucepan, mix
¾ cup sugar
½ cup water
Warm the mixture to form a syrup, let it cool a bit, then add
3.5 oz chopped milk chocolate (one average sized bar)
¼ cup canola oil
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

3. In a large bowl, mix together
4 cups Rice Krispies cereal
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
¼ heaped cup cocoa powder

4. Add the sugar mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spread it on the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 30-35 mins, stirring every few minutes and making sure it does not burn.

5. When it comes out of the oven, add a large handful of dried cherries.

I packaged the granola in a suitably kitschy container, since Halloween is in the air.


Do you want to see the silliest bear ever made? Here she is :D She was a gift so someone else now has custody of her.


Finally, Dale has a tip for you: To stay warm, sleep in layers!

Dip Dip Dip...

(Does anyone remember the ad running in the 80s/90s in India?)

This is not an ad for tea bags, however, but a quick recipe for a spicy dip. We were invited to a birthday party last night where the food was Mexican-inspired, and this was my little contribution to the buffet table.

This is like a 7-layer minus a few layers.

I started by making the salsa. A few months ago, I shared my new favorite salsa recipe and got some great feedback, with folks writing in to tell me about their favorite way of making chile arbol salsa. Here's how I made it yesterday (five ingredients, count 'em):

1. In a small pan, heat 2 tsp. olive oil and saute 3-4 peeled smashed cloves of garlic and 4 dried arbol chiles for 30 seconds or so.

2. Place the fried garlic and arbol chiles in the food processor along with 1 cup canned fire-roasted tomatoes (or fresh if you're lucky enough to have them in season), 1 bunch cilantro and salt to taste. Pulse to process into a thick salsa.

To assemble the dip-

In a shallow dish, mix together 1 diced red pepper, 1 cup cooked black beans and a handful of cooked corn kernels.



Pour on the salsa in an even layer.



Spread with light sour cream and shredded Cheddar/Pepper Jack cheese. Garnish with sliced green onions (green parts only). Ta da!


Serve with corn chips that are hefty enough to hold the nice chunky dip.


The dip was tasty and vanished promptly once it was laid out. The only downside was that the salsa was a little watery and it looked quite messy- I'll have to work on making a thicker salsa.

Have a great week, everyone!

Tandoori Style Tofu

The Bookmark Project is back! Actually, it has been going on behind the scenes all this while, and after a lull, I found a gem in the bookmarks yet again.

As a child, I loved to play pretend games of House-House and School-School (I played a pretty convincing knuckle-rapping schoolteacher and managed to frighten some of the younger neighborhood kids). Now that I get to play House-House on a daily basis whether I want to or not, so I occasionally play Restaurant-Restaurant instead. And the best part of a restaurant meal is a platter of tempting appetizers.

I bookmarked Madhuram's Baked Tofu- Indian Style based on her superbly tempting picture alone. It is adapted from a recipe by the Indian cookbook author Mallika Badrinath. I have several of her booklets and should revisit them sometime.

In any case, I was pretty skeptical of the recipe. It sure looked like tandoori tofu, but where is the ginger-garlic paste? Where is the yogurt for the marinade? Would this 5-ingredient recipe really work? Well, sometimes, if you set aside your preconceived notions and give something a try, you are handsomely rewarded as I was.

The method is as simple as whisking together a marinade made from a handful of pantry ingredients, marinating the tofu for an hour or so, then baking/broiling it to crispy perfection. The liberal use of lemon in the marinade is very important- it soaks into the tofu, and in baking forms a tangy crust that is completely irresistible. I used spices liberally too, to make up for the bland tofu.

Tandoori Style Tofu

(Adapted from Baked Tofu- Indian Style from Madhuram's Eggless Cooking)

1. Use a block of firm or extra-firm tofu, drain out the water and press it under something heavy for 30-60 minutes to drain out as much water as possible.

2. In a large bowl or shallow baking dish, whisk together
2 tbsp. oil (I used olive oil but any oil will do)
4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)
1 tsp. red chilli powder (or to taste)
&frac 12 tsp. turmeric powder (or to taste)
1 tsp. garam masala (or to taste)

3. Cut the tofu into bite size pieces and add to the marinade. Gently spoon the marinade over the tofu to cover all the pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 450 F. Grease a sheet pan, then lay the marinated tofu on the pan in a single layer. Spoon any remaining marinade over the tofu.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or so, then turn on the broiler, transfer the pan to the broiler and broil for 10 minutes or so (watch it like a hawk!) or until the tofu has a golden crust. Serve right away.

In another restaurant-inspired move, I made an onion relish for the tofu. I like using paprika for both its bright color and taste.

Mix together to your taste-
-Thinly sliced red onion
-Paprika
-White vinegar (yes, the cheap multipurpose kind used for everything from pickling to unclogging drains)
-Salt

This delicious appetizer is completely vegan and I will be making it again and again. It takes barely 5 minutes of active time, the marinade and the oven take care of the rest. Thank you, Madhuram!

AIf only I had the sense to write this post, what, a month ago, it would have fit the half-dozen strict stipulations of Anita's Express Indian event. This is a party dish if ever there was one. But do go over and read the inspiring round-up of quick Indian recipes that are good enough to show off to company.

Have a good week ahead, everyone!

Standardized Granola

If you do something often enough, you end up being able to do it in your sleep. Here is a recipe for granola that I make very often and usually first thing in the morning, around 5:30 AM, so I can make it in my sleep, both literally and figuratively.

V chomps his way through so much granola that it would be criminal to buy the expensive packaged stuff. I started off with a fairly typical recipe years ago, and then discovered this oil-free recipe. We thought the oil-free version was so much crunchier and tastier than the other recipe- how often does that happen, right? I have recipes for chocolate granola, applesauce granola and peanut butter granola in my bookmarks folder, but this is the only one I make over and over again.

I wanted to note down my standardized version here for future reference. I photographed it right on my beat-up, blackened-with-use, much-loved sheet pan.



1. Preheat oven to 325 F and lightly grease a full sheet pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix
- 3 heaped cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 heaped cup chopped nuts (walnuts/cashews/pistachios/almonds/pecans)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon powder

3. In a glass measuring cup, mix
- scant ¼ cup sugar
- dollop of molasses
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. water
Microwave for 30-50 seconds (keep an eye on it!) until the sugar dissolves into a syrup. Remove the syrup and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla extract (it might splatter so be very careful).

4. Add the sugar syrup to the oats/nuts mixture and stir well to coat them uniformly.

5. Spread the mixture on the sheet pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring 2-3 times in between.

6. Once the pan is out of the oven, immediately stir
- handful of dried berries
- handful of chopped candied orange peel
- 3 tbsp. wheat germ
- 1 cup store-bought cereal (I use honey nut O's...this addition of cereal is optional. I like it for the added crunch and texture).

7. Let the granola cool completely before storing it at room temperature in an airtight container.

Serve with cold milk in summer and warm milk in winter. I prefer drowning granola in chocolate almond milk myself.

By the way, the vegetable from the last post is called Zephyr Squash- it is a hybrid.



Garden Dreamer guessed it right! To everyone who played along, thank you.

Canine Update
As promised, an update on Dale- here you see him sitting in the back seat of our car, catching his breath, heading back home after a long Sunday evening walk in Forest Park.

With Dale, everything is a journey and a process. When we first got him home, he was traumatized by his neglect and abuse of his early life and terrified of anything new. Getting him into a car so we could take him places was an ordeal that involved kicking (from him), screaming (from me) and scratches all around- I'm trying to erase those episodes from my memory. Today, Dale is a changed dog. Now it has gotten to the point where he runs to the car and wants to be driven everywhere. He lords it over the back seat and sticks his head out of the window, ears flapping madly in the wind. Pets teach us so much, and Dale has definitely given us an important life lesson: sometimes, you need to give someone time and patience and after second, third, fourth chances, they will come around. Just because you are afraid of something at first does not mean you have to fear it forever.

If you are a dog lover, you simply have to read Dana Jennings' essay in the NYT about lessons from the family dog. But beware, his essays are so touching and beautifully written that you might start weeping helplessly wherever you are.

Currently reading...

The book right on top of the pile (29 gifts) is interesting in concept; the writing is just so-so. It is the story of a woman recovering from a debilitating illness whose spiritual adviser gives her an unusual "prescription" that comes from an African tradition. She is to give away a gift every day for 29 days with intention and thoughtfulness in order to see changes in her own life. This is a challenge I'd love to take on one of these days.

See you in a few!

Trivia Night Sandwiches

I've finally figured out the rate-limiting step in my blog posting frequency. It is not the usual hub-hub of work, social events, errands, chores and the stress of knitting palm-sized sweaters. It is the fact that lately, I've been forgetting to photograph my meals for posterity! And without a picture, I can't seem to start a post.

Well, last evening I did remember to make a lunge for the camera as sandwich-making was in progress, and after a brief lull on this space, here I am with a sandwich that is as simple as it is tasty.

We played trivia last night at a fundraiser for a good cause, and I furnished the sandwiches to keep us going through many rounds involving the usual motley crew of TV characters and dead presidents. Summer vegetables are still going strong in local markets, so a roasted vegetable pesto sandwich seemed ideal- I could roast the vegetables the night before, buy fresh bread on the way home and assemble sandwiches at the last minute.

This was one of the vegetables that made it onto the baking sheet: an adorable squash that looks handpainted in two colors. Does anyone want to guess the name of this hybrid?


Roasting the vegetables: I used a large rimmed baking sheet, and covered it with uniformly sliced vegetables- 1 medium eggplant, 2 squashes, 1 large onion, 2 colorful peppers. Toss the vegetables with 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper, using your (clean!) hands to get the vegetables well-coated. Roast the veggies at 435 F for 30-40 minutes or until they are tender and slightly charred and smoky. Cool the sheet pan, then store the vegetables overnight in an air-tight container.

Assembling the sandwiches:


Put together-

• Good bread
• Pesto (home-made or store-bought)
• Roasted vegetables (straight from the fridge)
• Fresh mozzarella, sliced
• Fresh basil leaves (this came from the pot in my kitchen windowsill)
• Salt and pepper

With such simple ingredients, quality matters, so go for the best you can find. This sandwich can be embellished with a dressing of capers and balsamic vinegar, topped with fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, sprinkled with pepper flakes, but it is honestly delicious just as it is.

The best part- our team came in at first place (squee!) with this tie-breaker question-

In what year will NASA retire the Space Shuttle from service?

Do you know the answer (we're using the honor system here so no googling)? Luckily for our team, V did and we ended the night on a high note.

I promise to be back very soon. A lonely and quiet blog feels a bit sad, doesn't it? Have a lovely weekend, everyone!